Aami Standards And Recommended Practices B Sterilization Sterilization In Health Care Facilities

The AAMI recommended practice, Comprehensive guide to steam sterilization and sterility assurance in health care facilities, is a breakthrough standard in terms of its scope. AAMI has updated ST79 with the release of ST79:2010/A4:2013. Of particular importance, A4:2013 provides four new figures demonstrating the wrapping of items for steam sterilization and adds an annex focused on Moisture assessment. As of Oct. 25, 2013, purchasers of ST79 will receive ANSI/AAMI ST79:2010 and A1:2010 and A2:2011 and A3:2012 and A4:2014 as a single consolidated document. Among other changes from the 2006 edition of ST79, this revised and expanded second edition of ST79 includes guidance on the use and application of Class 6 emulating indicators, a chemical monitoring device fairly new to the United States. Because ST79 essentially consolidates five AAMI steam sterilization standards (whose content was reviewed and updated to reflect current good practice prior to being incorporated into ST79), it truly is a comprehensive guideline for all steam sterilization activities in healthcare facilities, regardless of the size of the sterilizer or the size of the facility, and provides a resource for all healthcare personnel who use steam for sterilization.

This Second Edition is a comprehensive resource on sterilization and disinfection of reusable instruments and medical devices

"Contains the complete text of six AAMI recommended practices, six AAMI American National Standards, and two AAMI standards"--p. vii.

This recommended practice provides guidelines for the selection and use of liquid chemical sterilants (LCSs)/high-level disinfectants (HLDs) and gaseous chemical sterilizers that have been cleared for marketing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in hospitals and other health care facilities. Included within the scope of this recommended practice are functional and physical design criteria for chemical sterilization and high-level disinfection processing areas; staff qualifications, education, and other personnel considerations; criteria for selecting LCSs/HLDs and gaseous chemical sterilizers; safety and efficacy considerations in the use of LCSs/HLDs and gaseous chemical sterilizers; preparation of devices for processing by chemical sterilization or high-level disinfection; quality control methods; and quality process improvement. Definitions of terms and informative annexes are also provided.